Father John A. Hardon, S.J. Archives

Mariology

An Interview: Jesuit Theologian and Author

by Fr. John A. Hardon, S.J.

Jesuit Fr. John A. Hardon, is a well known theologian, author and lecturer.
He was born in Midland, PA. His father died while performing an act of charity
not long after the family moved to Cleveland. He was raised by his mother.
After completing his university studies under the Jesuits, he entered the Society
of Jesus. He earned his doctorate in theology at the Gregorian University in
Rome. Father Hardon worked for Vatican Radio and broadcast the canonization
of St. Maria Goretti. He taught dogmatic theology for twenty years and set
up the Catholic Home Study Institute in Leesburg, Va. He currently resides
at the University of Detroit where he writes, lectures and works in the field
of catechetics.

You are well read and well informed. Can you describe the situation we
find ourselves in today in the Church, especially the United States.

FATHER HARDON: In the present day the Church is going through a revolution
imposed from the outside. Not just Catholicism or even Christianity, but ideas
that are basic even to rational sanity are being challenged by those who control
the media. And depending on how influential they are, the Church is in corresponding
trial. Because the United States is the most socially media conscious country
in the world, the Church in the United States is going through her heavies crisis.
What the Church has taught for 2000 years-- is being opposed, questioned and
challenged by alien ideas on the part of those who control the media and the
result has been widespread indoctrination contrary to the teachings of Christ.

How would you apply the Fatima message to this situation?

HARDON: I would say, following the lead of our present Holy Father, Pope John
Paul II, I believe the most fundamental message of Fatima is the imperative
of the verb "repent" or the noun "repentance."

Whatever has happened to sin? I believe the central message of Fatima is repentance.
But you don't begin to being to even want to repent, unless first of all you
are conscious of having done wrong-- having sinned and offended God. And there
is disorder, mainly with the individual, down deep inside the human heart.
The great need is that people realize they have acted contrary to the Divine
will. Therefore, they have sinned. Sin is always, always followed by
disorder. The great need is repentance which means a recognition not only that
others have sinned, but that I have sinned, that I acknowledge my guilt before
God-- repent. The tragic disorders wherewith human society is now being plagued
will be removed, in God's providence, in the measure that people repent.

What would you say is the highest priority of the Fatima apostolate today?

HARDON: I think the top priority of those belonging to the Blue Army, or the
World Apostolate of Fatima, is first for themselves to know the faith, then
live the faith and thirdly and most importantly for our purpose, to share the
fiat with the members of their own family, then with everyone. They should
share the faith, not only with those who enter their lives, but they should
even go out to enter other people's life and take on something of the zeal of
St. Paul. Proclaim the Gospel and part of the proclamation, of course, will
be that people have to repent. The main reason why after almost 2000 years
since the Incarnation, most of the human race is not yet Christian is because
human beings do not want to admit that they are sinners. Peter's first sermon
on Pentecost Sunday was to tell people-- repent.

Has the Fatima message had a direct impact on your own life and ministry?

HARDON: Much of what I have spoken and written, certainly since my graduate
studies in Rome, has been deeply motivated by what I understood was the essential
message at Fatima.

I learned from Fatima that Our Lady, having first obtained from her Son, to
work a physical miracle continues obtaining from Him other physical miracles
like at Lourdes, but she especially wants her Son to work moral miracles of
surpassing the natural laws of the human will. I believe it is more difficult
to convert a hardened sinner than it is to raise a Lazarus from the dead. And
Mary is capable of working such miracles. My priesthood has taught me devotion
to Our Lady and expecting her to work miracles of conversion. She'll do it.

I believe that Fatima is especially the sign in our age of the moral miracles
that God wants to work in a proud, self-preoccupied, pleasure-intoxicated mankind.
Miracles are being worked. I tell people to expect miracles. And the most
important kind of miracles you should ask God to work through Our Lady's intercession.

What would you recommend to our readers and apostolate members to help them
attain personal holiness?

HARDON: First, pray, that's imperative. I believe all members of the World
Apostolate of Fatima should daily examine their consciences on how much and
how fervently they have prayed. We are not praying enough. Second, I believe
the members of the Fatima apostolate should better understand their Faith and
be sure they have access to information on the Faith, especially to what the
Vicar of Christ is telling us.

Look at the thirtieth chapter of the Gospel of Matthew where Jesus describes
the seed falling on unfertile ground. The first seed fell on unfertile ground
because, as Christ explained, these persons received the word of God, but failed
to understand it. Therefore, the devil came along and stole it form their hearts.

Third, they must share their faith. This is the apostolate. Use all the media
we've got. Start writing letters; start engaging in spiritual conversation.
Fourth, to grow in holiness, members of the Fatima apostolate must be willing
to suffer. Never run away from the cross; embrace the cross and like Our Lady,
stand close to the cross of Christ. It is especially in loving to deny ourselves
and take up our daily cross, in embracing and not merely not running away from--
not merely stoically enduring suffering-- but loving the sufferings that God
puts into our lives to show our love for Him that I believe that members of
the Fatima apostolate can grow in sanctity.

Our Lady requested that we offer prayers and sacrifices for the conversion
of sinners.

HARDON: Yes, we should specify when we pray, that we are asking for the conversion
of sinners. Even specify particular sinners that we know. Sacrifice, of course,
means that surrender of something precious to God. The most effective prayer
is the prayer which is joined with a sacrifice, meaning giving up what I like--
ah, that prayer is powerful at the throne of God.

Our Lady taught the children to say after each decade of the Rosary "Oh my Jesus, forgive us our sins, save us from the fires of hell, lead
all souls to heaven, especially those in most need of thy mercy."

HARDON: It is a prayer whose center is the awareness of sin and sin offending
God. In other words, the one who says the prayer is a sinner, praying both
for himself and for others. He is asking God's mercy-- mercy for those who
are not repentant, so they might obtain repentance-- mercy from God that He
might lessen the punishment of the pain and the suffering that is due to sin
both for himself and others.

When we say the "Decade prayer" the phrase "lead all souls to
heaven " does not mean that we are asking that all the deceased go
to heaven. We ask the good Lord to lead all the poor souls to heaven, lead
all the faithful departed to heaven . You are not asking for those who
are in hell to be saved. Some people misunderstood. What we are praying for
is a mitigation of the suffering of those who have died if they are in purgatory
as well as a lessening of their stay in purgatory.

Please comment on the devotion to the Immaculate Heart of Mary that was
requested at Fatima?

HARDON: This is most important. In fact, whatever the Blue Army can do to
promote devotion to the Sacred Heart of Jesus, by promoting devotion to the
Immaculate Heart of Mary will be blessed by Our Lord. Even as Our Lady is to
bring everyone to her Son, so devotion to the Immaculate Heart is to intercede
our devotion to the Sacred Heart of her Son.

The difference between devotion to the Sacred Heart of Jesus and the Immaculate
Heart of Mary is that devotion to the Sacred Heart of Jesus is devotion to Jesus
Christ, the living God in human form, whose human heart is the heart is the
heart of the living God. Devotion to the Immaculate Heart is devotion to a
creature. Our Lady was not divine. However, in devotion to the Immaculate
Heart, the word "immaculate" is crucial, referring to her sinless
heart. I believe, the essence of devotion to the Immaculate Heart is to strive
through Our Lady's intercession to obtain the grace of dying a sinless death.
We came into the world with sin to ask her for the grace of dying without sin.
This is the greatest gift we can obtain from her Son through her Immaculate
Heart.

That leads us to the First Saturday devotion in reparation for sins committed
against the Immaculate Heart of Mary.

HARDON: Devotion to Our Lady on Saturdays goes back to the beginnings of the
Church. I believe that principal sin for which the five First Saturdays should
expiate is the sin of unbelief or disbelief or infidelity. Our Lady was venerated
on Saturdays form the early Church. Because on the first Holy Saturday, between
Good Friday and Easter Sunday Our Lady's faith among all the followers of Christ
was the only one that remained absolutely intact. Because of this were born
three names through the centuries- Our Lady's Day, Mary Day and Faith Day.
The First Saturdays are especially for the sins of unbelief but, particularly
for those who have abandoned their faith because they wanted to do their own
will. They rationalize their immorality by writing books defending their infidelity.

Eucharistic Adoration was stressed by the angel and also by Francisco.
What are your observations on this?

HARDON: I would say any authentic devotion to the Blessed Virgin, either strengthens
our faith in the Real Presence and devotion to the Holy Eucharist or it is not
authentically Catholic. Except for Our Lady, we would not have the Holy Eucharist.
It was only because she became the Virgin Mother of the Son of God that we have
the Holy Eucharist. I've been telling priest students over the years, the Eucharist
began the day of the Annunciation, in Mary's womb. The Eucharist is the living
Jesus Christ. Except for the body and blood that He received from Mary, He
could not have, on Holy Thursday night, said "this is my Body, this is
my Blood " It is because Mary gave her Son his body and blood that
we now have the Eucharist.

The same living Jesus-- identical, no qualification-- that she conceived and
gave birth to and Who is now in heaven, is on earth in the Holy Eucharist.
Devotion to the Holy Eucharist is, I would say, the goal of devotion to Our
Lady because in my judgment the essence of a devotion to the Sacred Heart is
devotion to Jesus Christ really present on earth. Our Lady is to lead us to
the love of her Son and that love is no abstraction. That love is alive and
has a pulsating human heart now on earth, thanks to his Mother.